TicketsNov. 13, 2013
University of Cincinnati senior guard Sean Kilpatrick has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list announced by ESPN.com and the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Tuesday.
It marks the second consecutive year Kilpatrick has made the list of the nation's top college basketball players. He was included in the award's midseason Top 25 list last season as well.
A preseason American Athletic Conference first team selection, Kilpatrick ranked among league leaders in the former BIG EAST Conference last season for points (fifth at 17.0) and three-pointers made (fourth at 2.41). Earlier this summer, he was one of 12 players in the nation to play for USA Basketball at the World University Games in Kazan, Russian.
A prolific scorer, Kilpatrick has amassed 1,487 career points heading into UC's home contest with Appalachian State on Saturday. He needs 513 more points this season to join Bearcats legend Oscar Robertson (2,973 points from 1958-60) as the only players in program history to score 2,000 or more points. With 225 career three-pointers, Kilpatrick is also on pace to finish as one of only three players at UC with 300 or more three-pointers.
An outstanding team leader with an unrivaled work ethic, Kilpatrick has been an important component on Cincinnati teams that have advanced to the NCAA tournament each of the past three seasons, including a trip to the 2012 NCAA Sweet 16.
Kilpatrick is one of five AAC players named to the award's Top 50 list along with Louisville's Russ Smith and Montrezl Harrell, Joe Jackson of Memphis and Shabazz Napier of UConn.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the midseason list and the official voting ballot, which will consist of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation's top 10 players, will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament.
About the John R. Wooden Award
The 38th annual Wooden Award ceremony will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, and will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, which in 2013 will go to Stanford Head Women's Basketball Coach Tara VanDerveer. The event will take place the weekend of April 11-12, 2014.
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Candace Parker ('07 and '08), Kevin Durant ('09) and Maya Moore of Connecticut ('09 and '11). Michigan's Trey Burke won the 2013 Wooden Award presented by Wendy's.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the All American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award's name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award Ceremony.
2013-14 John R. Wooden Award®
Presented by Wendy's®
Preseason Top 50
Name/School/Conference/Ht./Yr./Pos.
Jordan Adams/UCLA/Pac-12/6-5/So./G
Kyle Anderson/UCLA/Pac-12/6-9/So./G/F
Keith Appling/Michigan State/Big Ten/6-1/Sr./G
Isaiah Austin/Baylor/Big 12/7-1/So./C
Jahii Carson/Arizona State/Pac-12/5-10/So./G
Willie Cauley-Stein/Kentucky/SEC/7-0/So./F
Semaj Christon/Xavier/Big East/6-3/So./G
Aaron Craft/Ohio State/Big Ten/6-2/Sr./G
Sam Dekker/Wisconsin/Big Ten/6-7/So./F
Spencer Dinwiddie/Colorado/Pac-12/6-6/Jr./G
Cleanthony Early/Wichita State/Missouri Valley/6-8/Sr./F
Joel Embiid/Kansas/Big 12/7-0/Fr./C
C.J. Fair/Syracuse/ACC/6-8/Sr./F
Aaron Gordon/Arizona/Pac-12/6-9/Fr./F
Jerian Grant/Notre Dame/Big Sky/6-5/Sr./G
Montrezl Harrell/Louisville/The American/6-8/So./F
Gary Harris/Michigan State/Big Ten/6-4/So./G
Joe Harris/Virginia/ACC/6-6/Sr./G
Andrew Harrison/Kentucky/SEC/6-6/Fr./G
Tyler Haws/BYU/WCC/6-5/Jr./G
Andre Hollins/Minnesota/Big Ten/6-2/Jr./G
Rodney Hood/Duke/ACC/6-8/So./F
Joe Jackson/Memphis/The American/6-1/Sr./G
Cory Jefferson/Baylor/Big /12/6-9/Sr./F
Sean Kilpatrick/Cincinnati/American/6-4/Sr./G
Alex Kirk/New Mexico/Mountain West/7-0/Jr./C
James Michael McAdoo/North Carolina/ACC/6-9/Jr./F
Doug McDermott*#/Creighton/Big East/6-8/Sr./F
Mitch McGary/Michigan/Big/Ten/6-10/So./F
Jordan McRae/Tennessee/SEC/6-6/Sr./G
Shabazz Napier/Connecticut/The American/6-1/Sr./G
Kevin Pangos/Gonzaga/WCC/6-2/Jr./G
Jabari Parker/Duke/ACC/6-8/Fr./F
Adreian Payne/Michigan State/Big Ten/6-10/Sr./C
Elfrid Payton/Louisiana/Sun Belt/6-3/Jr./G
Dwight Powell/Stanford/Pac-12/6-10/Sr./F
Julius Randle/Kentucky/SEC/6-9/Fr./F
Juvonte Reddic/VCU/Atlantic/10/6-9/Sr./F
Glenn Robinson III/Michigan/Big Ten/6-6/So./F
LaQuinton Ross/Ohio State/Big Ten/6-8/Jr./F
Wayne Selden, Jr./Kansas/Big 12/6-5/Fr./G
Marcus Smart/Oklahoma State/Big 12/6-4/So./G
Russ Smith/Louisville/The American/6-0/Sr./G
Jarnell Stokes/Tennessee/SEC/6-8/Jr./F
Rasheed Sulaimon/Duke/ACC/6-4/So./G
Noah Vonleh/Indiana/Big Ten/6-10/Fr./F
Dez Wells/Maryland/ACC/6-5/Jr./G/F
Andrew Wiggins/Kansas/Big 12/6-8/Fr./G
Kendall Williams/New Mexico/Mountain West/6-4/Sr./G
James Young/Kentucky/SEC/6-6/Fr./G
Players listed alphabetically
* indicates player chosen to the 2013 Wooden All American Team
# indicates player chosen to the 2012 Wooden All American Team